


When the World's On Fire (All I Need is You)

by soulofevil



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Post Season 5, infinity war didn't happen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-25
Updated: 2018-08-01
Packaged: 2019-06-16 07:48:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15432351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soulofevil/pseuds/soulofevil
Summary: As the rest of the team heads out to space, Daisy stays on Earth to help Robbie with the trouble he and the Ghost Rider have found themselves in. Trouble by the name of Zadkiel, the Archangel of Mercy.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

>   
>   
>  Thanks to memorizingthedigitsofpi and whistlingwindtree on tumblr for the awesome banner!
> 
> Title comes from Mike Shinoda's song World's on Fire.
> 
> Tags to be added as needed, possibly graphic violence in later chapters, we'll see!

Jemma just kept talking and talking and talking and Daisy just wanted to scream. She thought she would be able to handle this mission to go retrieve Fitz from cryostasis but they were still in the prepping stages and she was done. At the best of times, his name just made her cringe, at the worst Daisy could still feel him cutting into her. Or hitting her. Or setting her up for a fight to the death.

The man they were going to rescue hadn’t done any of those things. Daisy knew that. But she couldn’t separate the different versions of Fitz when they all wore his face.

Her stomach twisted and for a moment Daisy thought she was going to be sick as Jemma spoke about the care Fitz would need after being pulled out of cryostasis. Of course, Jemma would want to make sure the love of her life was properly cared for but it was hard not to feel bitter when the ‘care’ she had received after Fitz’s impromptu surgery had been nothing.

The sound of her phone dinging as it received a text was a welcomed distraction and Daisy didn’t give a fuck about the dirty look Jemma shot her way as she read it. She didn’t recognize the number that came up and her brow furrowed as she looked at the simple message of ‘666’ before it clicked.

“It’s Robbie.”

Daisy hurried from the room, thumb swiping across her phone as she called the number. She hoped that it was good news that had led Robbie to contact her but Daisy would take any kind of distraction right now.

The phone rang a few times before someone answered. If it weren’t for the odd whistling sound Daisy would have worried the connection had been lost with how long it took Robbie to answer.

“That was a faster reply than I expected from a wanted fugitive. Or hero. Whichever one you are this week.” 

Robbie was speaking too slowly and Daisy realized the whistling was his own laborious breathing. She couldn’t stop the grin that rose to her face though, or the way her voice cracked with emotion when she finally spoke up.

“Last I checked it was hero but that was a few hours ago.”

She was pretty sure that was a chuckle she got out of Robbie but it was hard to tell over the phone.

“Sorry about this, I didn’t know who else to call. But I could really use your help right now.” 

Daisy glanced towards the front of the Zephyr were the rest of the team was before heading for her room. Jemma wanted to head out to space and find Fitz by the end of the week, steamrolling everyone else in her quest to get her partner back. As hard as it was for her to admit it, Daisy knew she wasn’t ready to see Fitz yet. She loved him and wanted him to be ok, but she hated him so much right now. No one else seemed to understand that, or worse they just didn’t care. These last few… days? Weeks? Months? God, so much had happened so fast.

“Daisy?”

She hadn’t answered Robbie even as she was shoving a few changes of clothes into her tactical bag and Daisy was suddenly worried by desperation she caught in his voice. She hoped she was just overreacting, the thought of Robbie needing help was hard enough to believe but something having him worried was bad. Really bad.

“Yeah, sorry, where are you?”

“Lucy.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can, just hang on ok?”

This time Robbie did laugh, though there was nothing humorous about its tone.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere. Be careful though ok? You might not be the only one looking for me.”

Robbie disconnected the call before Daisy could ask who else might be there and she shoved her phone into her pocket and snagged her charger from the wall. She turned to leave her room and almost crashed into Mack. She had no idea how long he had been standing there but he was eyeing her bag.

“Going somewhere Tremors?”

Daisy shoulder the bag as she gave Mack a defiant look. He might be the team’s leader now but he wasn’t going to stop her from helping out Robbie. Not after everything Robbie had done for the team. He had taken the Darkhold, knowing that it meant going back to hell and a place where the Ghost Rider was in control. She wasn’t going to abandon Robbie the way the team had abandoned her.

“Yeah. Robbie needs my help so I’m going to help him.”

She moved past Mack and the frown on his face, heading towards the hanger. She could hear Mack following behind her but he wasn’t trying to stop her or even asking her to slow down as she marched onto one of the quinjets and dropped into the pilot's seat. He took the co pilot's seat, quiet as Daisy ignored him for as long as she could while warming up the engines.

“Do you even know where you going yet?”

Daisy begrudgingly looked over at Mack before shaking her head. She wasn’t sure where Robbie’s car had ended up while they had been in the future but SHIELD had put a GPS tracker in it and she could find it that way. Mack rested a hand on her shoulder, giving it a soft squeeze as he looked at her.

“Find out where you’re going and give me ten minutes ok?”

“Fine. Ten minutes. Clocks ticking Director.”

Mack was back in seven minutes, buckling into the seat and closing the quinjet’s ramp. Daisy glanced back to see that he had brought nothing with him but made no comment about it. She finished preparing for the flight, waiting for Davis to give them the all-clear before taking the quinjet out of Zephyr's hanging and setting them on a flight path to the east coast.

Daisy was the first one to break the silence, needing something to keep her distracted from her own thoughts and worries.

“How mad was Jemma about this?”

Mack cringed slightly and shook his head.

“I wouldn’t say she was mad just very flustered. She thinks we’ll be ready to go within the next three days and is worried that this trip of yours is going to delay us.”

Daisy pulled one of her legs up onto her seat, hugging it to her chest as she kept her eyes focused on the sky ahead of them.

“I don’t want to go. I _can’t_ go Mack.”

She hated how her voice cracked, her eyes burning with tears that she didn’t want to shed. What kind of friend and teammate was she? But rather than the judgment Daisy expected from Mack, he only reached out and took her hand, giving it a firm squeeze and continuing to hold it.

“Hey, hey it’s ok. I can’t even begin to understand how awful all of this has been for you. Fitz did some terrible, unforgivable things to you,”

Daisy self consciously touched at the bandage on the back of her neck, trying to cling to the anger she still felt and not the despair that kept trying to take its place.

“And now we’re off to save him? It’d be nice to get a break and have a chance to process everything that’s happened. But...:”

Mack trailed off and Daisy knew where it was going. The Zephyr was one of the only ships capable of space travel but Fitz was the only one who understood all the mechanics behind it. Regular wear and tear of flying in the atmosphere meant the plane needed regular maintenance and with the kind of luck they had it wouldn’t be long before something important broke for one reason or another. 

“You’re the _Savior_ of Worlds now Daisy. And this world is still going to need someone to protect it while we’re out there looking for Fitz.”

Daisy tried to discreetly wipe her tears away before she found herself wrapped into a tight hug against Mack. 

“We should have done better, been more of a team, a family for you.”

“It’s ok Mack, we’re all dealing with a lot.”

She rested her head on his shoulder, squeezing Mack tighter. It wasn’t ok but everyone else had someone more important to be concerned about. Jemma and Fitz, Mack and Yoyo, even Coulson and May. It hurt to realize that even within her own family she was the odd one out. As terrible as it was, Daisy was thankful that now was when Robbie had decided to get his ass into enough trouble to call for her help. 

Daisy clung to the hug and the comfort it brought until quinjet beeped, letting her know they were close and the autopilot was shutting off. Letting go of Mack, she brought up the info they had on the storage facility. It held mostly old SHIELD vehicles, the ones built to withstand trouble without any of the fun gadgets. According to the computer logs no one had been by here in over two months which at least meant it was unlikely she would run into government agents. 

“Are you coming with me?”

Mack looked out as the quinjet dipped below the cloud cover, taking in the empty swath of land that surrounded the facility.

“No, not unless you need me. I owe Robbie too but I figured you two would want to take care of this yourselves. I’ll take the quinjet back to the Zephyr, I’m sure Matchstick won't mind giving you a ride somewhere.”

This was one of the many reasons Daisy loved Mack, he understood that sometimes she just needed space and often supported her decisions rather than trying to force her to change her mind.

“From the looks of it, I don’t think I’ll need any help getting to Robbie.”

“No, but if he called you for help it means he’s in serious trouble. I know the two of you can handle a lot of things on your own but if you need help, call us. Fitz survives 70 years in cryo, I think he’ll be fine waiting a week if you need us.”

Daisy nodded, appreciating the gesture and knowing that Mack would do it. But this was a good excuse to get away from the team without feeling guilty about it. 

Vacating the pilot's seat, Daisy went to her bag and pulled out her gauntlets.

“Robbie said I might not be the only one trying to find him. We’ll take the quinjet a little closer to the facility and I’ll jump out. You can be my eyes in the sky, make sure this isn’t some kind of trap, then head back to the Zephyr if everything looks good.”

Mack took over the controls, nodding to Daisy’s orders as he cloaked the jet and brought it in closer to the building. Daisy pulled her hair back and tucked in her shirt, not bothering with her tactical suit though she had that with her. 

“I’ll keep you updated on the final prep for our space trip. But expect for us to be ready in a few days.”

Holding the quinjet steady in the air, Mack opened the ramp and looked back at Daisy.

“Good luck Tremors, stay safe out there.”

“You too Mack.”

Slinging her bag over her shoulders, Daisy walked to the ramp and jumped out. Holding her arms out to her sides, she started using her powers to slow her fall and landed with ease in the tall grass and weeds surrounding the facility. She looked up, knowing she wouldn’t see the jet or Mack but giving him a thumbs up anyways before she started walking.

It felt good to be on the ground again, the vibrations of the earth a soothing tingle in her bones. One more reason why the thought of another trip to space sounded awful, it was like losing one of her senses when she couldn’t feel the vibrations of the world around her. She walked slowly, being cautious and letting all those sensations wash over her, trying to pick up on anyone or anything else that might be out here. But the old SHIELD facility was the only thing out here, lacking even the thrum of electricity that buildings typically had.

Daisy knew she wasn’t alone though, finding proof of it as she got near the gate that was meant to keep people out. A padlock was twisted out of shape but there was no sign of the chain that had once kept the gate shut. Worse though was the stain of red on the ground and trail that led past the gate and into the facility. Looking around and not seeing any signs of a fight, Daisy assumed this was where Robbie had portaled in.

As tempting as it was to move a little faster to get to Robbie, Daisy forced herself to take her time. Anything that could hurt Robbie like this was bad and being caught off guard by something wasn’t going to help anyone. If Robbie could survive gunshots and being run over, Daisy hoped that meant he could also survive for a few more minutes on his own.

There was so much blood though. A pool of it outside the entrance to the building was still tacky despite the hours that must have passed. The lock on the door had been broken and Daisy pushed it open, waiting for anything to happen before slowly walking in.

The inside was little more than a giant garage lit only by the windows high on the walls and Daisy quietly walked past row after row of parked cars and SUVs. The blood trail headed off in another direction but Daisy kept close to the walls, her senses on high alert as she looked and listened for anything out of place. Not picking up on anything, she came to a stop and shut her eyes to better focus on the vibrations around her. The pulse of the earth under her and the pounding of her heart were the only things she felt at first. She focused on her breathing, calming herself like May had taught her before finally feeling it, another heartbeat that maybe wasn’t as strong as it should have been but was steady in its rhythm. Not feeling anything else, Daisy headed straight for the other person there.

She caught up with the blood trail again and followed it to where the sleek, black 1969 Dodge Charger was parked. Blood marred the passenger side door but the dark tinted windows were impossible to see through and tell if Robbie was in there. Daisy didn’t stop herself from running the rest of the way to the car, slowing only so she didn’t risk losing her footing in the blood as she pulled the door open. Even knowing that Robbie had to be in bad shape, she wasn’t prepared to see him lying on the tilted back car seat with a hole in his chest. 

“S’not as bad as it looks. Not gonna kill me at least.”

Daisy saw the flicker of a smile on Robbie’s lips as she dragged her eyes up to his face. He was too pale but she didn’t know if that was from blood loss or lack of sunlight. His voice was too raspy as well but again she couldn’t tell if it was from pain or the lack of use. Daisy stood there frozen, trying to process what she was seeing, how anyone could survive that kind of wound, especially since every beat of his heart just sent more blood oozing down the front of his jacket. 

“What the hell happened to you?”

First a smile, now another chuckle, Robbie must have lost a lot a blood if he was being this expressive. He winced at the movement to his chest but finally opened his eyes, still bright and clear despite the blood loss and pain he had to be suffering from.

“Up not down. Angels are fucking assholes no matter what anyone says.”

Robbie shifted so he could reach into the pockets of his jeans, pulling out the keys to the Charger and handing them over to Daisy with only a slight tremble to his fingers.

“Now get us out of here before they figure out where I ran to. And try not to hit anything this time?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos always welcome!


	2. Chapter 2

Time had stopped having any real meaning to Robbie eons ago. There was nothing but pain and death and the desperate need to scream with his own voice. But the Rider never stopped, he just kept going and going and going and _going_.

There had been brief respites, moments when Robbie was suddenly thrust forward into alien lands that put cracks into his sanity. Sometimes they were just as awful as the darkness of his own mind. Somewhere where the air wasn’t oxygen but acidic, every breath killing him as he struggled through a broken place where the devil couldn’t go. Only he never died, the Rider wouldn’t let him.

Other times were better. When the Rider’s need for vengeance was temporarily sated he’d teach Robbie various things. The portals had been just one of the new tricks that Robbie had learned. He knew wards against various demons, runes to mask the Rider’s demonic energy, spells to track the supernatural.

But most of the time there was nothing. Just the darkness smothering his senses until Robbie question if he had ever been real. Were those really his hands covered in gore and ichor or had he just made up a story about Robbie Reyes in an attempt to cling to his sanity? He couldn’t tell and the Rider didn’t care. Did it really matter though? In the end, he was trapped in a hell he had agreed to, memories that he struggled to keep fresh in his mind were the only points of light that he had. The love of his brother, the bond with a girl just as broken as him, even when he wanted to just give up and stop being, he held on for them.

* * *

  
It had been a long time since Robbie had taken interest in what was happening to him but the sudden rage that burned through the darkness was impossible to ignore. Anger constantly radiated off the Rider but this was something different. The Rider had hated A.I.D.A. but that didn’t compare to what he felt now. This was a rage and hate and anger so primal and unending it burned everything away leaving behind only the need for vengeance.

Oh. Fuck.

Robbie clawed through the depths of his mind until he became aware of what was going on. Whatever he had been expecting it wasn’t angels. Two males and a female with gray wings hovered in the air above him, their silver armor glowing with a light of its own, making it impossible to discern any personal details of the angels.

“BETRAYER!”

Robbie wasn't sure if he had ever heard the Rider speak out loud like this before. One of the angels drifted to the ground and hate that had stewed for over a millennium washed over Robbie, making it hard to pay attention to anything else. The other two angels, guards if Robbie had to take a guess, looked tense and alert but kept to the air.

The angel was large enough to make Robbie feel small, the wings only adding to his size. At this close of range, Robbie could tell these weren’t the sort of angels that were often depicted in media. This one had blue-gray skin and eyes that glowed faintly red under his helmet. His dark gray lips pulled back in an amused grin at the sight of the skeleton wreathed in hellfire and leather before him.

“Ah. It’s been so long since one of your kind has come before me.”

Those red eyes flickered over him and Robbie felt himself squirm under their gaze, knowing that the angel was aware of him.

“Interesting. I never thought any of you would find a mortal stupid or desperate enough to make that kind of deal. But humanity is always finding new ways to disappoint.”

The Ghost Rider roared before charging at the angel. The angel didn’t wait for the Rider to reach him, charging forward as well and slamming an armored fist into the Rider’s skull. Bone cracked and shattered under the force of the blow but hellfire fused it back together within seconds. The Rider went for his chain but before he could get it free the angel was on him again, driving the Rider into the ground as he rained blows down on him.

All the beating was doing though was making the Rider even more furious. Hellfire exploded out around him, forcing the angel back into the air as the Ghost Rider got back to his feet.

“I will have my vengeance Zadkiel! You will burn for what you did.”

Memories that didn’t belong to Robbie flashed through his mind. They went by too quickly for him to process them all but he gathered enough to understand that the Archangel of Mercy had played a role in the creation of the Spirits of Vengeance. A role that had made Zadkiel into the Rider’s personal vendetta.

The Rider ripped the chain free from his torso, hellfire rippling across the links even as he whipped it at Zadkiel. The archangel pulled out his own spear before one of his guards shoved Zadkiel out of the way and the chain wrapped around the lesser angel’s arm. The angel screamed in pain as hellfire burned him and with a yank, the Ghost Rider pulled the angel out of the air. In two steps the Rider was on the angel, slamming a foot down on one wing and breaking it.

“Sinners, all of you!”

The Rider grabbed the angel by the back of his head and slammed it into the ground before he was tackled from the side by a female angel. Howling in fury the Rider grabbed and clawed at the angel holding him, trying to throw her off balance while she dragged him along the ground. Robbie whispered in his ear and the skull grinned even wider before spewing hellfire from his mouth. She flung him to the side as she started screaming, an awful sound that pierced through the soul-

Bad choice of words.

Zadkiel dive-bombed out of the air, driving his spear through the Rider’s back and out his chest.

Robbie had never felt so much pain before. He had died, over and over and over. He burned every time the devil ripped out of his skin. He had been betrayed by someone he had loved more than anything. And none of it compared to this. This wasn’t just his pain, this was the Rider’s pain as well. This was the devil dying and ripping his soul apart.

Robbie surged forward and reclaimed his body.

Hellfire flames went out as muscle and skin grew over his bones. The Rider’s howls become Robbie’s screams as his lungs were formed, the spear piercing one of them. But the weapon could no longer hurt the Rider or his soul, not while it was an innocent in control.

Zadkiel knew this and gave the spear a twist, Robbie thrashing in pain but pinned to the ground.

“You can’t hide in there forever.”

The taste of blood in his mouth, an object protruding from his chest, an asshole taunting him, this seemed real familiar. But last time he had had friends with him. Last time there had been someone there to try and help him escape.

Robbie’s eyes darted around the area, spotting his chain out of reach. He stretched an arm out, desperately trying to reach it and letting out a cry as Zadkiel gave another twist to the spear.

_You don’t need the chain to make a portal._

The Rider spoke up and Robbie felt some of the pain dim as the devil took it on. For once they were working together, the Rider pulling up memories to help Robbie anchor the spell, guiding rather than demanding and Robbie could feel the tingle of energy strong enough to tear holes through realms pulse through him. Using the chain helped Robbie focus the spell and make a stable gateway but right now he only needed a crack to escape through.

Robbie’s fingers dug into the ground as the spear was pulled out of his back and he felt the tip of it press against his neck. He would only have one chance at this, waiting until he felt the spear rise as Zadkiel got ready to jam it into him again before releasing the spell.

Robbie wasn’t sure how long he fell but at least the distance wasn’t bad. He hit the ground hard enough to knock the wind out of his lungs, his scream of pain coming out as nothing more than a whimper. He laid there until he had as much of his breath back as he was going to get before pushing himself to his feet. He didn’t need the Rider to tell him Zadkiel was coming. It would take the archangel time to find him, but that didn’t mean Robbie had any to waste.

There was only one structure in the area and Robbie started walking towards it. The gate meant to keep people out was a joke, one hard tug broke the padlock, but he took the chain with him to replace the one he had left with the angels.

“Any time you feel like fixing this would be nice.”

It wasn’t often Robbie spoke aloud to the Rider but it was good to have a real voice again. And a real body even if it was filled with pain. Pain was better than the numb nothingness of his mind.

_If I take over, Zadkiel will know._

Dammit. There went the quick healing option. The pain was bad but it wasn’t the first time Robbie had been forced to keep going while he body was trying its hardest to die on him. Of course, if Zadkiel showed up now he wouldn’t have a difficult time finding them anyways, he was leaving an easy trail to follow.

Another door. This time Robbie stopped, leaning against the wall as he took a moment to rest. He risked looking down at his chest and instantly regretted it. The hole was smaller than his fist and on the right side of his rib cage. A giggle too high pitch to be good escaped Robbie as he realized he was probably short a nipple now. Worse then that was the internal damage. The spear had pierced him when he had just been a skeleton but it had been pulled out after Robbie had taken control and regenerated all his flesh and blood. Flesh that had been ripped out along with the spear. He was not an expert when it came to anatomy, but he was pretty sure he was missing a portion of his lung. No wonder breathing was a bitch and he felt like he was drowning with every breath.

Putting his head back against the wall, Robbie tried hard not to think about it. It was bad but he wasn’t going to die. He should. But he wouldn’t.

Forcing himself to move, Robbie gave the door a punch hard enough to break the lock and walked in. Row after row of typical government-issue cars filled the place, most marked with the SHIELD logo. He walked slowly, pulling the sleeve of his jacket over of his hand and pressing it to his chest as if that would slow the constant bleeding of a gaping hole.

As soon as he saw his baby, Robbie moved a little faster. His car had always been a sanctuary for him, a place to go when he needed to escape the crushing responsibilities of the world for just a little while. He knew every inch of it, had helped build it and fix it and maintain it. He didn’t even care that he was leaving streaks of blood on the paint as he ran a hand over the hood, and when he reached the passenger side door, he fell against it, trying to hug and hold the first friendly thing he had seen in forever. It was stupid that a car of all things would bring him to tears but as he pulled his keys out of his pocket and collapsed into the familiar leather seats he couldn’t help it. He was home, a place he thought he would never see again.

Tilting the seat further back, Robbie finally had the chance to calm down and start thinking of what his next step would be. Healing the hole in his chest was a top priority and he was going to need the Rider for that. If he could hide the Rider presence then maybe they’d be able to do it fast enough where Zadkiel wouldn’t be able to find them. To do that though, he was going to need materials and Robbie couldn’t exactly walk into a store in his current state. As much as he hated to admit it, he needed help right now.

Eyeing the glovebox, Robbie slowly sat up and popped it open. He had always been terrible at keeping his phone on him, neither the day job or night job had really been suitable for a phone. Most of the time he had just tossed it into the glovebox and forgot about it, something he was thankful for now as he pulled the old flip phone out.

“Great, I can’t even pray that this thing still works after we just tried to murder an archangel.”

He mumbled to himself as he held the power button, falling back into the car seat as the screen lit up. There was only one person he could really reach out to for help in a situation like this and Robbie plugged Daisy’s number into a text, sending off a quick message that he hoped she’d understand.

Robbie didn’t expect the phone to start ringing a short while later. He answered and slowly brought it up to his ear, trying not to agitate his chest any more than necessary.

“That was a faster reply than I expected from a wanted fugitive. Or hero. Whichever one you are this week.”

“Last I checked it was hero but that was a few hours ago.”

A soft laugh slipped out of Robbie, the motion drawing a wince from him. God, it was good to hear her voice, his memories of it didn’t do Daisy justice.

“Sorry about this, I didn’t know who else to call. But I could really use your help right now.”

Silence stretched out and Robbie started to worry. Daisy was the _only_ person he could turn to right now.

“Daisy?”

He hated that his fear had worked its way into his voice but let out a sigh of relief when she answered.

“Yeah, sorry, where are you?”

“Lucy.”

Hopefully, that would be a good enough answer because Robbie didn’t even know what country he was in much less anything resembling an address.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can, just hang on ok?”

That got a dry laugh out of him, he wasn’t really capable of going anywhere in his current state. It wasn’t him that Daisy needed to worry about though, there was always a chance Zadkiel could somehow track his portal spell, who knew what was possible for the angel.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere. Be careful though ok? You might not be the only one looking for me.”

Not wanting to get into it over the phone Robbie hung up before Daisy could start asking him questions. Letting the phone drop into his lap, Robbie shut his eyes. Everything had happened so quickly but now that the adrenaline had stopped pumping through him (or had all bleed out of him) Robbie was exhausted.

“Wake me when she shows up.”

He didn’t even catch the Rider’s disgruntled answer before slipping into unconsciousness where, for a little while, nothing hurt.

* * *

 

_She’s here._

Robbie was slow to wake up. He didn’t want to wake up. He just wanted to sleep until everything stopped hurting. Breathing shouldn’t have been this hard. All he could taste and smell and feel was blood. Maybe he was still in hell.

The car door opened and Robbie heard the sharp intake of breath as Daisy saw him.

“S’not as bad as it looks. Not gonna kill me at least.”

A smile quirked his lips for a moment, he wasn’t lucky enough for death to take him yet.

“What the hell happened to you?”

He chuckled at that, not even knowing where to start. Not that they had time for the whole story. He opened his eyes though, looking at Daisy. However much time had passed, Robbie could see how it had worn at her. He wished that he could give Daisy a break and not add to her troubles.

“Up not down. Angels are fucking assholes no matter what anyone says.”

She was the real angel anyways, always showing up when he needed her most.

But knowing how speaking of the devil tended to summon him, Robbie dug his keys back out of his pocket and held them out for Daisy.

“Now get us out of here before they figure out where I ran to. And try not to hit anything this time?”

Daisy hesitated a moment before taking the keys and Robbie wasn’t sure if it was because of the teasing or the blood on them. She walked around the back of the car though, popping open the trunk. Robbie could hear her shifting things around back there before she shut the lid and came around to the driver's side. She handed him one of the towels he kept in the trunk for times when the night job got messy and adjusted the seat for her shorter frame.

“I know that’s not going to help right now, but just in case we get stopped. Or if you need a pillow.”

A silent suggestion that maybe he should rest some more. He wasn’t going to, not yet, but Robbie did put it under his head as he watched Daisy start up the car, the engine roaring to life. He had a moment of deja vu as he watched her shift the car into gear and drive slowly through the garage, of another time when he was slowly dying in the passenger seat while she was forced to chase after his demons. He shifted so he wasn’t looking at her, the guilt of disrupting Daisy’s life was almost worse than the physical pain. She didn’t deserve this.

Reaching the tall garage doors, Daisy simply unrolled the window, leaned out, and blasted the thing open, repeating the process when they reached the gate blocking the road. After that they raced down the road, Daisy quickly getting used to Lucy’s handling or noticing every time Robbie frowned as he picked out when to shift gears by sound alone. Maybe he wasn’t the one driving, but damn it still felt good to be in the Charger again.

“Where do we need to go?”

Robbie thought about it for a moment before shrugging.

“Pick a direction and drive. Distance is all that matters right now.”

“In case those angels come after you?”

“ _When_ they come after me. I don’t think threatening vengeance on an archangel is something that just gets let go.”

He could see Daisy’s reflection in the window as she looked over at him, a frown already forming on her face.

“Why are you seeking vengeance on an angel?”

Robbie let the silence stretch out before finally answering, his voice barely audible over the engine.

“It’s not my vengeance Daisy, it’s his.”

Daisy’s brow furrowed in confusion than gradually shifted to anger.

“Why are you getting vengeance for him.”

Her voice was flat and dangerously low. Robbie turned in the seat so he could look at her, knowing that his answers were only going to piss her off more.

“Because I told him I would. It was part of the deal I made.”

“I thought your deal was just getting back at anyone who hurt innocent people, not attacking angels just because the devil has some kind of hate boner for them.”

“I had to make a new deal with him Daisy. He wasn’t going to leave Mack willingly and I couldn’t let him hurt you.”

Daisy’s head snapped over to look at him and Robbie quickly continued on.

“Or the rest of your team or anyone else. If the Rider helped me settle my score with Eli, I’d help him settle his own scores.”

All of them, he had promised to help the devil settle all of his scores, knowing that it meant damming himself to an eternity as the Ghost Rider. But if that’s what it took to protect Daisy and to do the right thing, he’d make the same choice every time.

Daisy had returned to looking at the road ahead of them, a white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel as she fumed. If the road hadn’t been such a straight and empty stretch Robbie might have been concerned about how far to the right the speedometer needle was.

“So he has you going after angels and then leaves you like this?”

She waved a hand in his direction, not looking at him.

“It’s a little more complicated than that Daisy.”

“Then make it less complicated for me Robbie.”

“Look, it doesn’t matter ok? As soon as I get myself fixed up you’re going back to your team and the Rider and I will deal with Zadkiel on our own.”

Robbie was not expecting the car to go from 90 to 0 as Daisy slammed on the breaks and he slammed into the dashboard. He howled and withered in pain, breathlessly trying to ask her what the fuck she thought she was doing.

“I am so sick and tired of people telling me what to do! You don’t get to appear out of the blue asking for help and then pretend like you don’t need it when I show up!”

“Daisy-”

She wasn't having any of it and Robbie felt a push of invisible pressure on his chest, making him groan in pain.

“Oh shut up, it won’t _kill_ you, right? And that's the only thing that matters, right? I’m not your fucking chauffeur Robbie, I’m your friend! You don’t get to dismiss me, not when I come halfway around the world to find you with a fucking _hole through your chest_.”

Robbie wisely stayed silent as Daisy yelled at him. This was a level of anger he hadn’t been prepared for. Or the way the anger slipped from Daisy’s face for a moment as she looked over at said hole, a few tears escaping from the corner of her eyes that she angrily wiped away with her fist.

“Dais-”

“Shut up, I’m not done.”

Daisy leveled a glare at him that made Robbie shrink back into the seat.

“Maybe you two macho idiots hadn’t realized this yet but you're currently _running away_ from Zadkiel because, let me guess, your strategy of punching things didn’t work. And guess what, it’s probably not going to work this time either! So pull your collective heads out of your collective asses otherwise there’s not going to be anyone there to bail you out the next time someone manages to beat you.”

Daisy let out a huff and slammed the gear shift back into first before she started driving again. Robbie stayed silent until Daisy’s grip on the steering wheel started to loosen and he felt it was safe for him to talk and not risk getting quaked out of his own car.

“We’re friends?”

Daisy’s jaw clenched and Robbie was suddenly worried that he _would_ get blasted out of the car before she looked over and saw that he was being serious.

“Yeah, we’re friends. Did you get hit in the head as well as the chest.”

The words were harsh but the venomous anger wasn’t in Daisy’s tone at least.

“Repeatedly actually. I just… It’s not like I’ve had friends since my life got weird. I’ve done everything I could to keep people from getting close. It was safer that way, for them and for me.”

Robbie let out as much of a sigh as he could because that didn’t excuse his behavior. He looked down at his hands, literally stained red with blood, unable to look at Daisy.

“You’re right Daisy. About everything. And I’m sorry. It’s not fair of me to ask you for help and then shut you out. And I know I can’t take Zadkiel on my own but I…”

 _I can’t lose you._ The words were there but he shut his mouth instead. Those were feelings he wasn’t willing to go into, not now, not here, not like this.

“When I’m not sitting in a pool of my own blood, listening to the wheezing of my own lungs through a hole in my chest, I promise we’ll talk. I will try to uncomplicate things but there’s a lot that I don’t understand yet. But I will answer everything as best I can, okay?”

The anger had finally faded from Daisy’s face as he looked over at her. She used his favorite tactic of staying silent for a long stretch of time against him before giving her head a curt nod.

“Fine. How do we fix you up? I don’t think any doctor is going to be able to help with that.”

Robbie made himself as comfortable as he could in the seat and shut his eyes.

“When it gets dark we’ll find the cheapest, crappiest motel we can. Zadkiel can track the Rider but I think I can stop that from happening and after that, the Rider should be able to make me good as new again.”

“And if you can’t stop an angel from tracking a demon?”

“Then we’ll probably both be too dead to come up with another idea.”


	3. Chapter 3

Robbie woke up to Daisy gently shaking his shoulder.

“Hey, wake up, we’re here.”

He had no idea where ‘here’ was as he worked his eyes open. It was night and the Charger being poorly parked were the only things he really took in as Daisy tried to grab his hand and pull him up. He was slow and clumsy getting out, while the blood loss wouldn’t kill him he couldn’t function properly with most of it pooled on the floor of the Charger. Daisy dragged him away from the car even as Robbie was mumbling about his poor baby’s floor mats.

She brought him inside a room and things started to get a little less fuzzy for Robbie. A motel, that’s where he had told Daisy to take them. He’d be able to cast a spell there and either fix the hole in his chest or alert Zadkiel to where he was.

“Help me to the bathroom.”

Once in there, Robbie tried to sit on the edge of the tub and ended up sliding ungracefully into it. Good enough, he had already left bloody footprints behind but at least in the tub things would be a little more contained.

“I need you to get a few things for me. The chain and the first-aid kit from the car. Three, no four boxes of kosher salt. Half a dozen candles, ones that’ll burn for at least half an hour. Bleach.”

Robbie unzipped his jacket and struggled to get it off as he spoke. He needed to do this spell soon before he didn’t have the energy or the concentration necessary for it.

“Is that all you need?”

Robbie thought about it for a long moment before nodding. Anything else could wait, getting even those few things this late at night was going to take Daisy a little while.

“Yeah, that’s it for now.”

Daisy left the bathroom and Robbie leaned back against the tub wall until he heard her leave the motel room and a minute later Lucy's engine breaking the silence of the night. Good, now he could do this without putting Daisy needlessly at risk.

“Come on pendejo, help me out as much as you can…”

He couldn’t bring the Rider out yet, but fever-hot heat trickled into his limbs and burned away the fatigue and weakness. The trembling in Robbie’s hand stopped as he used his fingers and blood to write letters and symbols in a language he had never learned around the edge of the tub. Daisy was probably going to be mad that he was doing this without her but her moral support wasn’t worth putting her life at risk. If trying to hide the Rider didn’t work, Daisy wouldn’t make much of a difference against Zadkiel anyways.

But they weren't going to fail. This was going to work. Careful, so he didn’t accidentally smudge anything, Robbie curled up in the tub that was far too small for him.

“S’all up to you now.”

_This is going to hurt. Wounds caused by a holy weapon do not heal easily._

Of course not. The Rider didn’t give Robbie a chance to answer before the hole through his chest started searing with pain and Robbie bit down on his fist to stop himself from screaming.

* * *

 

It had taken Daisy longer than she had hoped to get the things they needed, requiring a drive into town before finding a store that was open after midnight during the middle of the week. She could hear the shower going when she returned to the motel room with the random assortment of stuff and eyed the door to the bathroom suspiciously before knocking on it.

“Robbie?”

“Give me a few minutes!”

Her annoyance was eased by the fact that Robbie sounded like himself. None of that hard breathing, none of that weakness, even the rasp was gone from his voice. Dropping most of her shopping bags near the door, Daisy took the one with snacks in it over to the only bed in the room. The ease of being able to get Robbie into a room unseen had won out over a room with two beds.

Good thing Robbie loved his car so much, he could go sleep in it if he was healed. If that jerk thought he could apologize for cutting her out of things then promptly cut her out of things...

“Uhh hey.”

In her silent fuming Daisy hadn’t heard the shower turn off and looked over to see Robbie standing at the bathroom door with nothing but a towel around his waist. He was still talking but Daisy wasn’t listening because _wow_. She had only seen Robbie in two things; his jumpsuit at Canelo's and his regular jeans and jacket. Both were enough to gather that Robbie was in fine shape but Daisy had never guessed he was in _fine_ shape. Muscular and well toned, Daisy forgot to be shy as she took in those flat abs and broad chest. Robbie's arms looked big enough that he could have picked her up with ease without the additional strength of the devil. She caught sight of a tattoo on his left shoulder, somehow never even pegging Robbie has the tattoo type but suddenly wanting to see it better, run her fingers over the black ink-

“Daisy? Did you hear any of that?”

“No, no I did not. Sorry, what’s up?”

She quickly looked away, an embarrassed flush rising to her checks. Daisy had always thought Robbie was a good looking guy but she had never pictured him being that hot under his clothes. Robbie was trying to hide his smirk as he leaned, no _posed_ he was definitely posing in the doorframe now and Daisy couldn’t even be upset about it.

“Did you see an extra change of clothes in Lucy’s trunk?”

“I honestly have no idea.”

A ‘no’ was on the tip of her tongue, not really wanting to lose this view just yet. But sooner or later Robbie was going to need pants. Fighting an angel in just a towel would be awkward. Daisy’s eyes darted back to Robbie’s chest, looking for any sign of the hole the angel had put in him as she slid off the bed. For a moment there it had been easy to forget that Robbie had been gravely injured and now it was impossible to tell that he had ever been hurt. The only thing that marked his tawny skin was the freckles scattered across it. No scars, no blemishes, nothing to show that this wasn’t even the first time he had been impaled.

“I guess your plan worked.”

“And if it didn’t I couldn’t risk both of us getting killed. Zadkiel knows we’re on Earth though.”

Daisy couldn’t muster up the energy to be angry with Robbie, it was a relief to see him whole again.

“I’ll go check your car for clothes. But here, I figured if you did get yourself fixed up you were going to need this.”

Returning to her bag of snacks, Daisy pulled out a bottle of orange juice and a package of cookies. Maybe not the healthiest foods but that was the kind of stuff they always had out at blood donations. Daisy didn’t think she had seen Robbie look so thankful as he took the juice from her, tore the lid off and downed half the bottle in one go.

“Eres increíble Daisy, thanks.”

Daisy nodded before leaving the room. She found Robbie’s spare shirt and shorts in the trunk and grabbed her tactical bag as well, wanting her laptop from it. She was only gone for a couple of minutes but by the time Daisy got back inside, Robbie had already demolished half the package of cookies.

“Damn Robbie, if you had told me you were hungry I would have gotten you something a little more filling then cookies.”

She snagged a couple of cookies as she handed Robbie his clothes, taking one last long look at that toned torso.

“The last time I ate was… shit. Morning of the blackout? And don’t worry, if I really need something else to eat I’m sure I’ll spot a place I can stop at when I go out.”

“Go out? Where do you think you’re going?”

Robbie was already in the bathroom but left the door cracked open so he wouldn’t have to yell.

“How much blood is in the human body? Because I’ve got about that much pooled in Lucy right now. I don’t think you want to be putting your feet in that.”

Daisy made a face as she pulled her laptop out of her bag, Robbie had a point there. His car was a bloody mess. And come daytime it would be a little harder for that to go unnoticed.

“Ok, so what are you going to do about that kind of mess? I’m guessing self-cleaning isn’t one of the Rider’s tricks.”

Robbie walked out of the bathroom tugging the gray shirt down and shaking his head.

“While he could do something about it, that’s not an option right now. Honestly? I just planned on driving to somewhere dark and secluded where no one would notice a guy tilting his car. Unless there’s a 24-hour self-serve car wash nearby that’ll have to do for now. Tomorrow I’ll have to…”

He trailed off and Daisy wasn’t sure if she had ever seen a more depressed look on his face.

“Spill a cherry slushie or three inside Lucy.”

A snort left Daisy before she realized Robbie was serious.

“Wait, really? That’s what you’re going to do?”

“It worked back home. It’s all a red, sticky mess and at least the smell of fake cherry tends to cover the smell of blood. The guys working the car washes tend to be more interested in Lucy then what I’m cleaning out of her so long as I’ve got a plausible story. Now, can I get my keys?”

Daisy reluctantly pulled out his car keys and tossed them to him.

“You had better come back Reyes, otherwise every cop is going to be looking for a modified black ‘69 Dodge Charger with California plates 2-9-9-Z-X-B.”

She smirked to herself as Robbie grumbled in Spanish before giving his keys a flip around his finger.

“I’ll try to be back within an hour Dais.”

Nodding to him, Daisy turned her attention to her computer as it started up. She knew she needed sleep, it had been a long, physically and emotionally draining day but every time she shut her eyes she just saw Robbie half dead with a hole in his chest. Her fingers moved across the keyboard as she started looking up Zadkiel, needing to do something to distract herself and wanting to find a way to help Robbie.

According to the wiki page on Zadkiel, he was the archangel of freedom, benevolence, and mercy, the patron angel of forgiveness. No wonder whatever resided in Robbie hated the guy. Daisy clicked around on a handful of sites, already listening for the tell-tale sound of the Charger’s return. She didn’t think Robbie would actually try to ditch her here, but it was an idea she couldn’t get out of her head.

A trickle of something wet and warm down her neck brought Daisy’s attention to the fact that she had been scratching at her own wound and reopened the damn thing. Her fingers came away tacky with blood and she swore as she got off the bed and headed for the bathroom. She stopped long enough to grab the first-aid kit Robbie had asked her to bring inside, hoping that he kept it stocked with normal things.

* * *

 

He returned to find Daisy in the bathroom, awkwardly sitting on the counter as she tried to clean the nasty wound behind her ear. She hadn’t noticed him yet and Robbie watched for a minute before finally clearing his throat.

“You want some help?”

Daisy jumped off the counter, quickly trying to cover up what she had been doing before Robbie was there next to her. He grabbed the disinfectant wipe from her hand and after a moment Daisy reluctantly let it go

“Fine. Just… don’t ask about it. I don’t want to talk about it right now.”

Robbie nodded and washed his hands before carefully brushing Daisy’s hair away from the area. She flinched at his touch and Robbie pulled his hands back. He had barely touched her, not even near the wound but she was already so tense.

“Hey it’s ok, I can just hold your hair back instead.”

Daisy shut her eyes, taking a deep breath before shaking her head.

“No, it’s fine. Can you just stand in front of me instead of behind?”

Taking Daisy’s shoulders, Robbie moved her so her back was to the mirror and he moved to stand in front of her as she wanted. She was still tense as he moved her hair again and Robbie eyed the reflection of the cut.

“I took care of Lucy with no issues. Even saw a car wash we can take her to tomorrow.”

Robbie talked to distract Daisy as he carefully tended to her. He stayed away from the cut at first, wiping the streaks of blood off her neck until she started to relax under his hands. His chatter wasn’t just for Daisy though, it kept him from asking why she didn’t have stitches for this. The wound was too clean cut to be anything but surgical and that was… concerning.

He grabbed another wipe and gently coaxed Daisy into tilting her head forward before cleaning the cut again. The area around the wound already looked red and tender, and Robbie didn’t want to risk it becoming infected. Once sterilized, Robbie grabbed a piece of dressing from the kit and folded it to the appropriate size and laid it on the wound.

“Keep holding still, I need to tape it in place and don’t want to catch your hair.”

Daisy gave a slight nod while Robbie grabbed the tape and tore off the strips he needed to keep the bandage in place.

Though finished with Daisy’s wound, Robbie’s fingers still lingered on her skin. His thumb was feather light as he lifted Daisy’s head and traced her jaw. Daisy leaned into the touch, pressing her cheek into the palm of his hand and letting her eyes fell shut. For a moment, the weight of the world slipped from Daisy’s face and Robbie let his own eyes fall to Daisy's lips. He remembered the way Daisy had looked at him, her eyes taking in and appreciating every inch of him and felt emboldened. Cupping Daisy’s face and tilting it farther up, Robbie leaned in closer to her. He hesitated for a moment, lips hovering close enough to Daisy’s that he felt her inhale and hold her breath.

He shouldn’t do this. But oh, Robbie wasn’t sure if he had ever wanted anything half as much as he wanted Daisy right now.

Closing that last bit of distance between them, Robbie pressed his lips softly to Daisy’s. Her hands came up to his chest and Robbie started to pull back, expecting Daisy to push him away. Instead, she grabbed fistfuls of his shirt and pulled him more firmly against her.

“Don’t stop now.”

She murmured the words against his lips and that was all the encouragement Robbie needed. He wrapped his arms around Daisy, holding her close as his kissing grew more heated. Her mouth opened under his, tongues tangling as they found a way to express what words always got in the way of.

Hands drifting to Daisy’s waist, Robbie picked her up and lifted her onto the sink counter so they were level with each other. Daisy arched her back into Robbie as he slid a hand under her shirt and let his fingers graze along her spine. Daisy pulled at his shirt until Robbie broke their needy kiss, breath already coming in heaving gasps as he shucked off the t-shirt and Daisy was just touching _him_.

Her nails dragged down his back while he dragged his teeth down her neck. Robbie’s senses were filled with Daisy; her taste, her smell, her touch, her pulse fluttering under his lips, her legs wrapping around his waist. For a moment clarity hit Robbie, that if he didn’t separate himself from Daisy now he was never going to. Instead of putting space between them, he kissed up to her ear, sucking on the lobe and drawing a soft gasp from Daisy.

“Bed?”

His voice was a gravely whisper in her ear that did nothing to hide how much he wanted her.

“Bed.”

Her arms wrapped around his neck and Robbie easily lifted Daisy off the counter and carried out of the bathroom and to the bed.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos always welcome! If you'd like for me to tag anything else, please let me know in the comments!


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